Multidisciplinary Teams Professionals working with abused and neglected children generally agree that a multi-disciplinary approach to child maltreatment has the greatest potential for success. This means that law enforcement officers, child protective service (CPS) workers, commonwealth attorneys, physicians, nurses, educators, mental health clinicians, and other professionals need to work together to ensure the best possible outcome for the children they serve. Multidisciplinary teams have been developed in hundreds of communities to improve the coordination and communication among the personnel involved in the child abuse cases. One of the most important reforms brought about by multidisciplinary teams is the ability to conduct joint interviews of the child victims, reducing the number of interviews and interviewers to which child victims are exposed in the course of an investigation. In accordance with the Code of Virginia section 63.2-1503J, the local department shall foster, when practicable, the creation, maintenance and coordination of hospital and community-based multidisciplinary teams that shall include where possible, but not be limited to, members of the medical, mental health, social work, nursing, education, legal and law-enforcement professions. Such teams shall assist the local departments in identifying abused and neglected children; coordinating medical, social, and legal services for the children and their families; developing innovative programs for detection and prevention of child abuse; promoting community concern and action in the area of child abuse and neglect; and disseminating information to the general public with respect to the problem of child abuse and neglect and the facilities and prevention and treatment methods available to combat child abuse and neglect. Operating Guidelines Click one of the following links to download the operating Guidelines in Word format: City of Roanoke County of Roanoke City of Salem